Kyle Composite School set to open new facilities in time for new school year

Kyle Composite School is getting ready to change things up, more than people might realize, in the new school year.

Work has been happening for months as the new structure has been added on, while parts of the old building have been refurbished, and the preliminary work for demolition has begun. 

All of this work comes on the heels of two factors; the school population has shrunk, and the school building has sunk. 

Kyle Composite School Principal Penny Calvert, explained how the old building of the school has been slowly sinking into the dirt, to the point where the floors in the library and main hallway are twisted and lopsided. 

Some of the old building will be renovated and incorporated, but the majority will be demolished. 

"That's one of the biggest things that we have found with this construction company (Quorex)," said Calvert. "They've been really, really good about making sure that when we redo this, we're doing it right so it will last for years to come."

Calvert assured that currently there is no risk of collapse or other structural danger to the students or faculty. The new building will be ready in time for them to be done with the warped older structure before it gets to that point. 

Children attending the school are less numerous in years past, which reflects the town's shrinking population. So when it came to designing the new school, it was decided to downsize to reflect that modern population. 

"If our population grows, there is a way that we can grow the school," said Calvert. "That's been built into the plan that we have, so we still have more space than we need, but our population has downsized so the school needs to downsize, unfortunately."

With the new school, comes new opportunities. While it is being built on the same sight, it will feature things that the ld facilities lacked. A massive new stage has been constructed, which will be able to serve as both a performance space for the arts, as well as a learning space and classroom.

The stage area is the largest bit of work, with it dominating the silhouette of the school. 

Additionally, the students will be glad to know that a new outdoor learning space will also be designed and built for them. With some fundraising dollars and grant money in hand, Calvert assures this will be a feature used in their classes. 

"We've received a couple of grants to start looking at an outdoor learning space that will have a learning area, picnic tables, a mindful walk area, and some gardens," described Calvert. 

Faculty will enjoy updated spaces, furniture, and technical systems like phones and other hardware. These changes are much appreciated with Kyle Composite School being close to 60 years old. 

Amongst the biggest upgrades being made is the library. It will have devoted learning spaces, as well as a level floor. These learning spaces will help to give people a chance to discuss the material while allowing the others in the main library to read in peace without interruption. 

Of course, some of the community members have voiced concerns to Calvert. She assures that plenty of the school that they grew up with will be preserved in photos and artifacts that will be housed in the new school building. 

"The school is the heart of the community and it's hard to see it go," said Calvert. "That's part of why we want to make sure that while we can't keep the building, we can keep some of the memories."

For now, it looks like the new school will be open in time for the new school year. The demolition of the old building will be enacted over the summer, with everything currently on schedule for school to start again on time. 

"When I go to the monthly meetings now that a lot of stuff has started happening, I take pictures and then I come back and I share the photos with the staff and I share the photos with all the students as well," said Calvert. "We are getting excited to be able to start seeing it [come together]."